SD to spend $1m to restore Peñasquitos grasslands and sage scrub

A sign stands near Black Mountain Road at the site of a $1 million grassland and sage brush restoration plan to offset the environmental effects of nearby utilities projects.

A sign stands near Black Mountain Road at the site of a $1 million grassland and sage brush restoration plan to offset the environmental effects of nearby utilities projects.

A sign stands near Black Mountain Road at the site of a $1 million grassland and sage brush restoration plan to offset the environmental effects of nearby utilities projects.

The project will involve removing nonnative plants, which can have adverse effects on the animals and other plants in the local ecosystem.

The project will involve removing nonnative plants, which can have adverse effects on the animals and other plants in the local ecosystem.

The project will involve removing nonnative plants, which can have adverse effects on the animals and other plants in the local ecosystem.

The City of San Diego will spend more than $1 million to offset utilities projects in Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve.

The project, approved by the San Diego City Council Tuesday, will involve removing nonnative plants, installation of a temporary reclaimed water irrigation system — also called the purple pipeline — and revegetation of nearly an acre of grassland and about eight acres of coastal sage scrub along Black Mountain Road south of state Route 56.

“This project is going to be a great improvement to these acres of the Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve,” Councilwoman Sherri Lightner, who represents the area, said in a statement. “It is important to demonstrate to the public that the City is mitigating its own impacts on sensitive lands. I’m also very pleased that recycled purple pipe water will be used for the irrigation.”

Construction will account for about half the total cost. Irrigation materials will cost $228,000, planting will cost $156,000 and site preparation will cost about $125,000, the city projected.

Nonnative plants, which often spread from nearby residences, can cause problems for the local ecosystem, so removing them is an important part of the project, Stephen Heverly, a representative from Lightner’s office, said.

Among other potentially harmful effects, exotic plants can displace native plants that animals in the area may depend on, require extra water and die off earlier in the year, increasing risk of fire.